Photo/Story Gallery 2003

Trooper’s Courage Prevents Injuries

Trooper Alexander Annunziato, of Troop E-Miami, was recently involved in two separate incidents in which his actions helped prevent injury and endangerment of life.

The first incident involved a mentally ill subject who escaped from a local facility for the mentally disturbed. The subject, armed with a bottle and a large rock, walked onto the center median of a busy roadway in Miami-Dade County. The roadway was immediately closed in both directions to protect the subject and passing motorists. Trooper Annunziato approached the subject and attempted to defuse the situation by calmly telling him to remain still, and to drop the bottle and rock. Miami-Dade police officers arrived at the scene and surrounded the subject while Trooper Annunziato distracted him. Upon Trooper Annunziato’s signal, the officers were able to apprehend the subject without causing injury to him or anyone else. Trooper Annunziato exhibited courage and common sense while confronting an armed mentally ill subject.

The second incident occurred while Trooper Annunziato was working a DUI shift in which he stopped the driver of a vehicle for weaving in and out of passing lanes and for faulty equipment. While talking to the driver, Trooper Annunziato noticed a small plastic bag containing a suspicious white powder substance in the driver’s side door panel. Upon further investigation, the driver was immediately arrested for possession of cocaine. A female juvenile who was in the front passenger seat then told Trooper Annunziato that she was being held against her will. The female stated that she was forced to perform sexual acts with the driver under the threat of being killed. She said that the driver attempted to stab her with a six-inch screwdriver, which was later retrieved from the vehicle. Trooper Annunziato secured the victim and the crime scene until detectives from the Miami-Dade Police Sexual Crime Unit arrived to process the evidence. Once again, Trooper Annunziato’s quick and brave actions resulted in preventing further injury or potential loss of life.